Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan can tackle deprivation, promote renewal and support a return to growth

20 May 2011.

Greater Manchester is the most important economic centre in the UK outside London, but is yet to achieve its full potential. Greater Manchester needs to secure economic growth that more residents can take part in and benefit from, help more residents become active contributors to the economy, and tackle the low productivity caused by persistent worklessness in some of our most deprived communities.

An effective transport network that better connects people and places to jobs and centres of activity will be essential, and there is an important role for the voluntary sector and communities in delivering it.

Significant deprivation remains in GM, which has an economic and social impact on communities and on Greater Manchester as a whole. Not all communities are able to fully benefit from the opportunities that Greater Manchester offers. A transport network that is effective for all residents and communities will be essential to turn this situation around – and there is an important role for communities and for voluntary and community action.

As we begin to emerge from recession, the city-region has significant opportunities for growth and renewal. However, that deep recession has left a legacy of acute reductions in public spending amidst a harsh economic environment and a changed and unfamiliar political landscape. While resources are reducing, the demand for services and support is rising. This presents some fundamental questions and challenges for authorities, institutions, communities and residents about how we secure a return to stability and growth.

Transport has been significantly affected by the recession and harsh economic climate and there have been some very difficult decisions for the transport authority – now Transport for Greater Manchester. On the bus network, some hard decisions about tough choices have had to be made around concessionary fares and public funding support for non-commercial bus services. Decisions must try to balance the need to protect the services themselves, maintain accessibility to them through the design of services and fares, and accommodate the reductions in the availability of public funding.

At the same time, there is a need to plan for the future as we slowly emerge from recession. An efficient, sustainable, accessible transport network will be essential to securing renewal and future economic growth, tackling unemployment, worklessness and deprivation, and for Greater Manchester to realise its full potential.

The Local Transport Plan sets out how the transport network will help respond to these challenges, and help Greater Manchester achieve its full potential.

Transport connects people to places; places where they work, shop, study, access public services, reach sources of support and relax. By better connecting people to places, jobs and centres of activity, the transport network can help more people become active contributors to the economy. This will be crucial to ensuring all communities can benefit from the opportunities that Greater Manchester offers, and to achieve recovery and renewal.

There remains significant deprivation in Greater Manchester, found around the core of the conurbation, in a number of outer-lying areas and in pockets within all of the districts, which is reflected in the life chances, employment, education and health of residents. Transport can be a barrier to accessing employment, engaging with services and support and connecting with the wider conurbation and beyond. Lower levels of economic activity and demand for movement are reflected in restricted and less frequent public transport, fewer transport connections and low levels of car ownership or access to a car. There are increasing challenges around sustaining low patronage, non-commercial services supported by public subsidy for social purposes in deprived areas, intensified by the reducing availability of public funding.

This raises an urgent need to look again at alternative approaches and solutions to maintain and improve connections and access in areas of deprivation – including the role of communities and local voluntary and community action.

These priorities are reflected within Greater Manchester’s transport strategy or Local Transport Plan (LTP). The Plans’s core objectives are to ensure the transport network supports the Greater Manchester economy, and improves the life chances of residents and the success of business – as well as reducing carbon emissions, facilitiating active, healthy lifestyles, supporting sustainable neighbourhoods and maximising value for money.

The plan also recognises the potential for the local residents and communities and the voluntary sector to play a greater and growing role in delivering the strategy through providing alternative, innovative and locally generated solutions to transport and access problems.

Crucially, the Local Sustainable Transport Fund presents a huge opportunity to accelerate the pace of the ambitions outlined in the Local Transport Plan. (

The Transport Resource Unit worked with Transport for Greater Manchester to bring organisations from the voluntary and community sector together to hear more about the proposals and help inform responses to the consultation.  The event also allowed organisations to explore and debate some of the themes and issues in more detail.  The event was attended by over 20 representatives from Local Infrastructure Organisations, Community Transport operators, front line service bodies, environmental and transport interest organisations, and local community groups.

You can find out more about the LTP at www.tfgm.com/ltp